Growth performance, carcass composition, and digestive enzyme activity of Labeo fimbriatus in tanks provided with feed and periphyton substrate in two orientations

ABSTRACT

The effect of substrate orientation on the growth of Labeo fimbriatus in periphyton-based culture system was evaluated through an on-farm growth trial conducted for 90 days in 4x4x1.2 m soil-based, fertilized out-door cement tanks. The treatments consisted of triplicate tanks receiving no feed (NF), receiving feed (F), and those receiving sugarcane bagasse as periphyton substrates vertically suspended in the water column (SV) or applied directly to the tank bottom (SB). Bagasse used at 2 t/ha was hung vertically in SV tanks, while it was spread at the tank bottom in SB. Fish in F treatment tanks were fed daily with a 25% crude protein diet. No significant effect of periphyton substrate on growth performance and production of L. fimbriatus was observed when compared with the group receiving feed. Survival was not affected by the treatments. Production did not vary between the substrate orientations. Carcass of fish in F, SV, and SB had similar proximate composition. Activity of gut digestive enzymes was higher in treatments with substrate as compared to no substrate treatments.

KEYWORDS:

• Periphyton
• substrate
• bagasse
• Labeo fimbriatus
• digestive enzymes
• carcass composition

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), New Delhi, India for the funding support, which enabled this study under the project No. BT/PR5388/ AAQ/3/594/2012 and the Director, ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar, India for the infrastructure facilities provided.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

All the data pertaining to the study are available with the first author.

Ethical approval

All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed by the authors.

Author contributions

The first author was involved in designing and executing the experiment and writing the manuscript. The second and third authors analyzed the proximate composition and digestive enzyme activity. The fourth and fifth authors assisted in conducting the field trials.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology [No. BT/PR5388/ AAQ/3/594/2012].